Ages 8-12

Six-year-old Anna Pellowski’s older siblings, Jacob, Franciszek, Barney, Mary and Pauline are exposed to English at school, but only Polish is spoken at home. The younger children—Anna, Julian, Anton barely know a word of their new country’s language, but then neither do many of their neighbors. When the family goes to town to celebrate the 100th birthday of the United States, the speaker gives his speech in a mix of German, Polish, Bohemian and Norwegian! Some years before, in the mid 1800’s, Anna’s mother, father and brother Baby Jacob had come from Poland to live in a tiny sod house in Western Wisconsin and establish the very first farm in the entire Latsch Valley. Now the growing family lives in a real house, with neighbors on every side, and the world for quietly curious Anna is filled with fascinating possibilities—as well as lots of hard work. Sometimes she dreams of going back to the Poland she is always hearing about, but increasingly she realizes that life in Latsch Valley, with its rich cultural rhythm of work, play and religious faith, holds everything she could possibly want. This is the first book in the Latsch Valley Farm Series.  The second book in the series is Winding Valley Farm.  The third book in the series is Stairstep Farm.  The fourth book in the series is Willow Wind Farm.   The fifth book in the series is Betsy's Up and Down Year.

The five Mitchell children are based on the author's own family. In the first of three books about their adventures, Daddy has just gone off to World War II. One of his final words to his daughter Joan is, No dogs! She would dearly love such a pet, but life is full and so many new friends-pets as well as people-join the Mitchells, she hardly has time to think about dogs. The children form a club to do their part for the war-effort-first and foremost helping Mother, of course. Humorous and tender incidents combine with delightful illustrations to make the Mitchells truly unforgettable. Illustrated by the author.